DECEMBER 11.


THE KILLING OF THE DEVIL, AS TOLD IN THE
LANGUEDOC FOLK-TALE OF THE THREE STRONG MEN.

Oh! that was a desperate struggle--terrific and horrible to see! The
devil shrieked and howled; he scratched and bit; while Crowbar, dumb
and purple in the face, gave telling blows with his fists. He could
not strike the devil's head, because of the horns, and he could not
grab his body, because it was so sleek and slimy. At length the
devil's strength gave out. Crowbar siezed him by the throat, threw him
on his back, put a knee upon his breast, and, with the cane in his
right hand, gave him a blow between the horns that split his head in
two. But he died hard. His head was split open, yet he was struggling,
whipping the ground with his tail, and foaming at the mouth. At last
he was still.

SAMUEL JACQUES BRUN,
in _Tales of Languedoc._



DECEMBER 12.


FROM "AFTER HEARING PARSIFAL."

The century new announces, "Victory!"--